


Rebirth By Betrayal

by KIRA_user_of_Death_Notes



Category: Runescape
Genre: Choices, Conflict of Interests, Decisions, Difficult Decisions, Dubious Morality, Flash Fic, Gen, Internal Conflict, Moral Ambiguity, Morally Ambiguous Character, One Shot, Religious Conflict, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-20
Updated: 2016-11-20
Packaged: 2018-09-01 01:11:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8601325
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KIRA_user_of_Death_Notes/pseuds/KIRA_user_of_Death_Notes
Summary: When a demon suddenly pops up in Lumbridge, swears revenge on Zaros and advises the World Guardian not to trust him, he seems to have a point, especially after how dismissive the Empty Lord had been when he went back to Freneskae to revive an unconscious Seren. But how right is he? And would his words manage to sway a Zarosian World Guardian?





	

**Author's Note:**

> The following is a flash fiction (to put it simply, a _very_ short story) that takes place after my [previous](http://archiveofourown.org/series/431506) [stories](http://archiveofourown.org/works/8049583/chapters/18439165), Dishonour Among Thieves, The Light Within and Kindred Spirits. 
> 
> As always gameplay and storyline segregation applies. What works in-game but not in a literary medium will be altered to fit the situation.
> 
> As usual, my World Guardian's profile can be read [here](http://nerd-artist23.deviantart.com/journal/30-Day-OC-Meme-Bryce-Stanton-495526539).

_"Promise me, World Guardian.”_

   _A rush of wind blew through the Lumbridge Crater, causing his hair to be blown from side to side. In the intense light given off by the gigantic bonfire standing in the same exact spot the maelstrom had been two and a half years ago, Bryce’s hair appeared to be just as golden as the glow of the fallen nihil’s pupil-less eyes, as they stared deeply into his own violet ones._

_Seconds of silence passed, while they stood still as trees, gazing into each other’s eyes, like their pupils and irises could say more than words ever will._

_“Promise me you will remember our talk together.”_

_Bryce blinked._

_“I’m sure I will.”_

_“Do not forget my words. Zaros isn’t to be trusted. He will never,_ ever _value you; you will be no more than a tool to be used and abused, until you outlive your usefulness, and the moment you do, he will callously discard you.”_

_“I’ll consider it.”_

_A sudden, small smile appeared on the fallen nihil’s face, softening its harsh, brown, lion-ish features._

_“I believe in you, World Guardian. I trust you to make the right choice. Do not be swindled by Zaros’ own rhetoric or the sweet poisonous words of his followers.”_

* * *

   He kept his word to the nihil

   But even if he wanted to forget, he could not. During his short stay in Lumbridge, he found it impossible to steer his mind away from the topic. It always went back to what the nihil wanted.

   As he lay in his double-sized teak bed, Bryce shifted to his side.

   _Revenge,_ Bryce thought, repeating the word once more. _Revenge against Zaros for…_

The nihil hadn’t been willing to have a heart to heart with him, all he’d said was that Zaros created him, then abandoned him in Freneskae when he was deemed a failure. There, he’d suffered, until the Queen of Ashes came to him.

   _My beautiful queen was unlike my creator, she was a redeemer, a live-giver,_ the nihil had said, his voice filled with pride the moment he mentioned his queen. _She_ _accepted me for what I was, and gave me a second chance in life. Soon, Gielinor will feel the same redemption._

    Upon hearing that, Bryce immediately asked if it’d be the same redemption by fire, and the fallen nihil nodded.

    _Fire purifies, fire heals, fire cleanses the world of all its undesirables and diseases, leaving behind only the good. My queen is biding her time, she rushes nothing and will arrive when she feels this world is ready._

   The nihil then promised that when the Queen of Ashes arrives, not only would Gielinor would atone for its sins, but a certain god would do more than that, he’d suffer every kind of injustice he had unleashed on the nihil.

   _The Queen of Ashes… her power lies in fire, but fire isn’t infallible. Water destroys fire. So much of Gielinor is covered in water. What will your Queen do then?_

His mind wandered away from the queen he assumed to be not much of a threat, to the threat of revenge. Once upon a time, he would’ve drawn his sword the moment the fallen nihil spoke that way of his precious Lord Zaros, but that old Bryce had faded; he’d started to question the Empty Lord.

   It began with the day he restored Seren. He’d carried her body to Freneskae, when some muspah spawned just as he got close to the Elder Halls. Luckily, Zaros appeared just in time to kill them, but he’d been so cold and dismissive of the World Guardian.

   _And after everything I’ve done,_ Bryce thought, gritting his teeth and furrowing his brows at the unpleasant, painful memory. _He didn’t even acknowledge me, all he wanted was...Seren._

He resisted the urge to throw his pillow at the grey stone wall, as he recalled the time Zaros appeared to him while he was carrying Seren. When he apologised for not being able to kneel, Zaros had told him to save his courtesies, and when he thanked his god for saving them, Zaros corrected him and said that he only saved Seren.

   _It was like he didn’t care at all, even after all I did for him! I ran through Freneskae, I dodged lightning and lava for him, I endured the toxic air for him, I killed those four nihils and almost died for him…and in the end…_

He was about to finish his inner sentence and tell himself that in the end, it didn’t matter; Zaros didn’t care, but something stopped him.

   Bryce remembered waking up in the luxurious lodgings of his port after his encounter with Sliske and his darker, murderous, enraged side, to the sight of Ali the Wise and a youth with long black hair and purple eyes a few shades darker than his own. The latter instructed the former to draw the curtains and lock the doors, and as soon as he’d done so, the man revealed his true form—Zaros.

   _But he cared,_ he thought. _He told me I’d been comatose for months, Wahisietel healed me to the best of his ability, but I still wouldn’t wake up…Zaros wanted to make sure I was all right. He did care, but…_

   Bryce sighed. _Which is it? Which is the true Zaros?_

   It was impossible to figure him out, he knew. 

   _The fallen nihil believed in me…to make the right choice. And for me to choose, Zaros must do so too; he must prove the nihil wrong. And from here on, there’s nothing I can do, but place my hope in that he wilI do the right thing, to steer me in the right direction. It appears that I must believe in him too._

_But can I?_

**Author's Note:**

> It's very short, I know. There isn't a universal agreement on how many words flash fiction should have but I'd say it should not go over 1000.
> 
> This was inspired by the pre-Children of Mah event, Birth By Fire.
> 
> The first line was inspired by the famous "promise me, Ned" line from A Song of Ice and Fire.
> 
> Speaking of ASOIAF, Bryce was supposed to be thinking about how fire destroys everything but ice preserves to give it an "ice vs. fire" motif, but then I had it changed when I realised it didn't fit Runescape.
> 
> Bryce's struggle with Zarosianism is very much like my own. I wasn't happy at all in TLW when Zaros ignored me in favour of his sister, I did so much for him, those fucking nihil killed me countless times then Sliske mocked me for dying, and Zaros didn't even show the slightest hint of appreciation. 
> 
> After getting a no holds barred beatdown from Sliske, Bryce is left in a coma, in-game he shrugs it off after the quest ends, but remember the rule of gameplay and storyline segregation.
> 
> And when that's applied, it makes sense for Zaros to check on and make sure the one person vital to his plans, who can resist god magic is ok. Yes, I also gave him a human form, in the current year; in the Sixth Age, it's not like he can run around in his true form. Yes, his human form is what TV Tropes would call a [long-haired pretty boy](http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LongHairedPrettyBoy), and before you laugh at me, think of it this way: why would Zaros choose an ugly, or even average looking form over a good-looking one? And yes, he can shapeshift, he did it in Fate of the Gods when you asked him what he thought of the other gods, Mahjarrat, etc.
> 
> This story was originally going to be more...mature; it was supposed to include a redheaded...hooker that reminded him of Ariane and it was going to include a flashback of him kissing Ariane, but I told myself to "keep it simple or you'd go over 1000 words" and lo and behold, there was supposed to be a mini-flashback of him remembering all the morally ambiguous things Zaros did, and him thinking of the Empty Throne and how he'd imagine himself as a Second Age general swearing fealty to Zaros but not anymore. Those were cut, because it sent me over the word limit I'd set up.


End file.
